Improvement in portable fences



- I. W. PANCfiAST.

PORTABLE-FEEGE.

No.171,311. Patented Dec. 21, 1875..

WITJV' SE8 I 'EWTOR PETERS PHOTOUTMOGRAPHER.WASHING ON,DG. I V

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAIAH W. PANGOAST, ()F LIBERTYVILLE, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,311, dated December 21, 1875; application filed August 14, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISAIAH W. PANCOAST, of Libertyville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Iowa, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Portable Fences; and I do hereby'declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a perspective view of a section of my fence, and Figs. 2 are detail views of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view thereof, and Fig. 4 is a detail view.

This invention has relation to improvements in portable fences, wherein the corner panels are hinged together at their ends, and are capable of being folded up the one upon the other; and the nature of the invention consists in a fence having panel-boards, the ends of which, alternately on each panel, project outwardly beyond the end battens of the said panels, whereby a stop is formed, which will prevent the same from being turned beyond a certain desired point, and the hinges are relieved of strain.-

In the annexed drawings, A A designate two corner panels of a fence, consisting of a number of spaced longitudinal boards or rails, a, and of battens b, which are arranged alternately on one side and on the other of the panels, and to which the said boards or rails are rigidly secured. These panels are connected together by means of suitable hinges c, which are rigidly secured on one side to battens b in one panel, and to the upper and lower boards a of the other. As shownin Fig. 2, the endsz' of boards a, alternately on one panel and on the other, project beyond their respective battens a distance equal to the combined thicknesses of the board and battens, so that when the latter are spread outward in the act of setting up the fence, these projecting ends on each panel will abut against the battens or boards of the other, thereby forming'a stop, which will prevent the leaves or panels of the fence from being opened beyond a certain extent, and will protect the hinges from being subjected to undue strain. If the ends of the boards and battens be square each panel will be at right angles to the one adjacent; but by beveling the ends of the boards and the edges of the pickets any desired angle of the panels relative to each other may be obtained.

With the view to staying the fence against lateral vibration when subjected to strain, I use an angular brace, B, consisting of a broad flat sill, b, and of lateral bars 0, the upper ends of which are crossed, and then bolted together, thus forming a crotch or fork, d. The lower ends of rails care bolted alternately on side, and on the other to sill b, and are braced by crossed rods 6. This brace is passed over the end of the panel, the top rail a being received in fork or crotch d, and the lower rail bearing forcibly upon and resting on sill b. By thismeans the panel will be rigidly held upright, whether it be subjected to the influence of high winds or to the pressure of cattle rubbing against it, and no nails or other like devices being used in supporting the braces andin attaching them to the fence, they may be readily taken apart without damage to either, when the fence is dismounted, without loss of time or unnecesary trouble. The panel 1?, forming the straight continuation of the fence, is attached to the corner panels by passing the end of its upper rail a into crotch d of the brace alongside of that of the said corner panel, and the end of its lower rail c upon the sill of the said brace alongside the corresponding rail of the corner panel, as shown in figure, thus rigidly, but detachably, securing them together.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a portable fence, the corner panels A A, hinged together at c, and having the ends 41 of boards a, alternately on one panel and on the other, projecting beyond the end battens, and abutting against the short cross-boards ofthe panels, whereby the panels are prevented from forming'with each other a greater angle than a right angle, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

Q ISAIAH W. PANGOAST.

Witnesses:

M. S. CRAWFORD, S. M. BOLING. 

